As the first round of the South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) football state playoffs begin, many eyes in Horry County will shift to the field at Carolina Forest Community Church this Friday night.
That’s where the Atlantic Collegiate Armada — a team in just its third season of competition — will host its first-ever football playoff game.
The Conway charter school has already had big sports moments in its young existence. Its boys basketball team’s 2025 state championship and its girls volleyball program’s rapid dominance have highlighted the Armada’s early success. However, Friday night’s home first-round playoff game against Woodland might just be the biggest local moment in ACA’s history.
In many ways, the Armada shouldn’t be in this position.
The team started with an 0-5 record this season, suffering some lopsided losses to teams like Mullins, Oceanside and Mountain View Prep. The group had a challenging opening schedule, but didn’t appear to be heading in a positive direction for a team that went 1-8 and scored just 82 points in 2024.
But then, the tide changed.
Head Coach Antoine Rivens’ team defeated Marion, 28-12, to open up the month of October and they just kept winning region games.
Lake City. East Clarendon. Kingstree.
Win. Win. Win.
Standouts like Quay Vereen, Semaj Wilson and Garrett Smith made plays, ACA found plays when needed most, and the group found itself in sole possession of second place in Region VII Class 2A at the season’s end.
“It’s been a tale of two seasons,” Rivens said. “From where we began this season until now, that shows their hard work and how they have kept improving. … This is awesome. We definitely aren’t done, and we definitely aren’t finished. But, this has been in line with the plan and our goals this year. Our goal was to make the playoffs, and this is exciting to really see our kids succeed.”
Not only will this seemingly come-from-nowhere ACA team host a home playoff game this Friday, they will be one of the only shows in town to open up the state playoffs.
Aynor, Conway, North Myrtle Beach, Socastee and St. James all will play their first-round games on the road. In Class 5A-D2, both Carolina Forest and Myrtle Beach earned bye weeks and will not play this Friday night.
Loris (10-0) is the only other team in the county playing at home on Friday, battling a Battery Creek team with a 2-8 record.
So, ACA Athletic Director William Payne and the ACA administration are creating what they believe will be a unique and electric atmosphere this Friday night at Carolina Forest Community Church. The school does not yet have a home football field on its campus, which means some creative planning needs to take place for ACA home football games here in the school’s early stages.
And after some baseball bleachers are moved into the already well-established church field, ACA believes it will be a tremendous venue to host Woodland on Friday.
Players, coaches, parents, administration and more are ready for the first-of-its-kind game for Atlantic Collegiate.
“We’re excited,” Rivens said. “Once we got the true confirmation, it was exciting. We have so much great support from our administrator and our athletic director [William Payne]. To see this process happening, everybody is so excited — the parents, the kids, everyone. It’s going to be a good showing on Friday night.
“That’s what I have been telling our players. We can’t disappoint. We have to bring our A-game for all the people who are coming out and let them know that we are heading in the right direction and trying to arrive here, being mentioned in Horry County.”
Friday’s game will kick off at 7:30 p.m.
Below, find everything you need to know to get ready for Friday night’s full slate of playoff football action.
Green Sea Floyds (0-10) did earn a spot in the state playoffs due to the SCHSL bracket setup, but the Trojans will not be participating in the postseason due to injuries.
Horry County Postseason Week 1 High School Football Schedule
Friday, Nov. 7
Atlantic Collegiate (4-6, 4-2 region) vs. Woodland (5-5, 2-3 region)
Woodland: Finished 4th in Region VI-2AAtlantic Collegiate: Finished 2nd in Region VII-2A
What a season it has been for the Armada. After starting the year with an 0-5 record, not much looked like it was going to go particularly well for the group. Some early-season losses included a 38-14 region-opener against Mullins followed by a lopsided shutout by Oceanside 47-0. But, ACA turned heads as region play continued, rattling off wins in four of the final five games of the year, with its only loss being a narrow 16-14 game at Manning.
The Armada’s defense has been rock solid during this stretch. The team allowed just an average of 15 points per game over five outings in October. Woodland has been strong this season, but its offense has struggled in matchups against formidable opponents.
ACA, in what would be quite a feat in just its third season as a program, will look to post its first postseason win in program history on Friday.
Aynor (3-7, 1-4 region) at Newberry (10-0, 4-0 region)
Aynor: Finished 5th in Region V-3ANewberry: Finished 1st in Region IV-3A
A tough regular season got even tougher for the Blue Jackets last week, falling to Loris in a 54-0 blowout. Aynor managed just 2.8 yards per carry against the Lions defense, struggling against a team poised to make a run for a state championship.
This week, the task gets no easier for Head Coach Jason Allen’s team, as indicated by Newberry’s record. The Bulldogs are 10-0, and that record is no cheap mark. Newberry has scored 416 points this year, surrendering just 128 total points on defense. The team played just one game this season that was decided by 10 points or less, a 22-19 win over Silver Bluff on Oct. 3.
If the Blue Jackets are to have a chance in this one, it will need to be a ball control game leaning on their two leading rushers, Luke McCracken (640 yards, 11 touchdowns) and Alex Lewis (481 yards, six touchdowns).
Conway (2-8, 1-4 region) at West Florence (5-5, 4-2 region)
Conway: Finished 5th in VI-5AWest Florence: Finished 3rd in Region V-5A
There’s little doubt that this game will be a huge hill to climb for the Tigers. Conway is riding a four-game losing streak, and things have been ugly on the defensive side of the football. Last week, the Tigers suffered a 49-0 home loss to region champion Carolina Forest in a game that was all Panthers from the start. In Beach Region play, Conway’s defense has allowed more than 40 points per game.
West Florence will be a tall task, especially considering three of the Knights’ five losses came against ranked opponents, and the other two were one-score games. In three of West Florence’s final four games of the season, the team surrendered eight points or less. Matching up against a Conway team with little identity on offense, it’s easy to see this game being a commanding first-round victory for the Knights.
Loris (10-0, 5-0 region) vs. Battery Creek (2-8, 0-4 region)
Loris: Finished 1st in Region V-3ABattery Creek: Finished 5th in Region VI-3A
Loris completed a perfect regular season last week with a standout win over Aynor in a game that was always the Lions’ from the start. Quarterback Moon Gerald was nearly perfect, the Lions defense outmatched the Blue Jackets rushing attack and the 10-0 record was easily secured on an exciting Halloween night at Heniford Field.
As Gerald goes, the Lions will, too, in the playoffs. The senior has numbers that most high school quarterbacks in the country can only dream of. This year, he is 101-for-145 passing with 2,048 yards, 37 touchdowns and just one interception. Gerald is one of the best in the state, and he’ll have an opportunity to finish his high school career with a state championship run for one of the best athletic programs in Loris High School history.
As Loris looks to knock off Battery Creek in what — on paper — looks to be a lopsided matchup, don’t sleep on the rushing abilities of a now-healthy running back Deuce Stephens. Stephens is averaging eight yards every time he touches the ball this season and leads the Lions with rushing touchdowns in just six games.
North Myrtle Beach (3-7, 1-4 region) at Lucy Beckham (6-3, 3-2 region)
North Myrtle Beach: Finished 6th in Region VI-5ALucy Beckham: Finished 3rd in Region VII-5A
North Myrtle Beach won just one region game this season, but the Chiefs are far better than that 1-4 record indicates. Last week, they gave Myrtle Beach everything it could handle, pushing it to overtime before losing 29-23.
Aside from a 49-7 loss to Carolina Forest, a fate most Panthers’ opponents have suffered this season, the Chiefs were in every region matchup. They beat Socastee handily 30-14. They lost to Conway by one score (35-28) and St. James by just a field goal (20-17). And don’t forget about the early-season 14-7 loss to Darlington. With a couple of plays swinging in North Myrtle Beach’s direction, Head Coach Greg Hill’s team would be in a much different position heading into the playoffs.
Lucy Beckham features a run-first attack led by senior Jack Lamonica, who is averaging over 120 yards per game and is the team’s leading scorer. For the Chiefs to win on Friday, they’ll need to slow down that rushing attack early and often.
Socastee (3-7, 2-3 region) at Lugoff-Elgin (5-5, 2-4 region)
Socastee: Finished 3rd in Region VI-5ALugoff-Elgin: Finished 5th in Region V-5A
If there was a standout moment from last week’s final Friday of regular season action, it was Socastee’s late-game victory in the Battle of 707 against St. James. Helped by quarterback Christian Royals’ gritty performance, the Braves managed a 22-21 victory that propelled them into third place in the Beach Region and added a meaningful feather in their cap after the rivalry showdown at home.
Socastee has been far from perfect this season, but the team’s defensive efforts have been notable late in the region stretch. The Braves didn’t surrender more than 21 points in any of their last three outings, allowing Royals, running back Elijah Owens, receiver Hayes Hardwick and others opportunities to succeed late in games on offense.
Lugoff-Elgin isn’t afraid to throw the football with sophomore quarterback Zach Williams. His favorite weapon so far this season has been senior receiver Shamil Saadiq, who is averaging over 100 receiving yards per game.
St. James (4-6, 2-3 region) at Westwood (6-4, 3-3 region)
St. James: Finished 4th in Region VI-5AWestwood: Finished 4th in Region V-5A
Following their loss in the Battle of 707 last week, Head Coach Tommy Norwood, senior quarterback Alex Sandt and the Sharks are looking to find a way to capture some momentum in the postseason. Beating Westwood, however, will be no easy task.
The Redhawks share a region with Sumter, West Florence and Ridge View, and lost to all three this year.
In Sandt’s final ride with the Sharks, it wouldn’t be surprising to see St. James lean on the gunslinging quarterback in this win-or-go-home game. The Sharks can do a little bit of everything on offense, but the game will likely be in the hands of Sandt as he finishes up his time as the team’s signal-caller.
November 5, 2025 | Horry Independent, The (Conway, SC)
Author/Byline: Joe Wedra | Section: Sports